tushanshu | Text; Don't judge.

You don't know me. Maybe I'm chi-less.

So you can make the elements do things? How is that not magic? I'm pretty sure if it looks like what I just showed you and there aren't circuits involved it's beyond anything I can do.

Then you’d be ded. Chi is life energy and it flows ~~threw~~ thru our chakras.

Magic is weerd. It doesn’t use life energy. The elliments egzist in naytur like we do. So bending is naytur wurking with naytur.

Flying without using elliments, telluhporting, transforming things; magic like isn’t natchural.

So you have armur that is energy in your body?

Okay, I'm not sure I followed all of that, but I think we at least agree on one thing.

I have armor that runs on energy. Like a car. I just turn it on, like you use that console. You can manipulate any element? Anywhere?

You have ~~armur~~ that uses your energy. It sowndz like bending, but it's not. Bending moves elliments. It sowndz like magic, but it's not. Cee?

Yes, I can controwl Urth, Fyre, or Water anywhere. Air is hardur for me, so it's just really powerfull. Not reefined.

Othur things like lava, metal, or sand are a sub-skill of bending. A teacher is needed to mastur those.

Why did you make your armor like that?

Well, yeah. But I know what makes my armor move. It's not life energy, it's manufactured energy. And it reacts to me because I built it that way. I can't build fire that responds to me. There has to be a connection to make things react to your command. Can anybody learn bending?

Why.

Why not?

Manufactured energy? You have electricity in your body? How does that wurk withowt you dying?

No, bending is somthing you're born with. No ~~wun~~ one can bend more than one elliment eggsept me. You connect your energy, your chi, with the elliment and controwl it. That is the connection you are reefuring to I think.

But why would you do that to yourself? Did it hurt or leave any skarz?

Multiple power sources. It's something I built and I had help.

Okay, so not everyone can do it. But what makes your chi work with the elements? Genetics?

They healed.

Yes. If two peepl from the Urth Kingdom have a babee, that babee might be a bender. But only an urthbender.

Now like my ~~frendz~~ friends who are bruthurs, their pairints were and urthbender and a fyrebender. One of them, named Bowlyn, was an urthbender and his bruthur Mako was a fyrebender.

So their pairints could have an urthbender or a fyrebender. But not a babee who was both urth and fyrebender. Only one elliment.

Did you need armor to protect yourself from somthing? Is that why you made it?

I think I understand what you're saying now. It's genetic. We have people with similar abilities where I'm from, too, but they're called mutants. And they don't always have the same type of abilities.

What makes you different? You said only you could use different elements.

I needed the armor to be stronger. It kept me alive for awhile, and now I guess I just need it.

Oh we have mutants here too. The terdul bruthurs are mutants, but they're nice and know marshul arts like me!

So the armor makes you live? I can try to heel you with waterbending if that would help.

Yeah, I'm the Avatar. The-

Hold on.

[Suddenly the text shifts to video and Korra places her notepad in her lap. Korra could finger peck out the explanation given a week.]

The reason I can is because I'm the Avatar.

The Avatar is the spirit of the world in human form and is the one bender that keeps balance between the four nations on my world. One nation for each element, the cycle of the elements is: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water.

The Avatar is the only exception to the one element rule and must master all four elements. Aside from the whole balance thing, it’s also the Avatar’s job to be a bridge, or connection, to the Spirit World. [She adds that last part with a weak look as her eyes wander away meekly.] It’s been like that for ages. When the current Avatar dies, they are reincarnated as a bender in the next nation of the cycle. The previous Avatar was an airbender and I’m a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. After me it’ll be someone in the Earth Kingdom.

Basically it’s my job to do all that and protect everyone. [Quite a lot to ask of a seventeen year old, but she’s readily stepped up to the challenge. At least everything except the spirit part.]

Sorry Tony, I didn’t think I was ready to type all that out in English.

Were you born that way? Did you always need armor to survive?

Edited 2013-06-15 01:57 (UTC)

[He pauses to fuss with the console before answering.]

You're the spirit of the world who can control the elements and reincarnates to create balance and order between all of the different people of your land and the spirit world.

How is that not magic?

[The face Korra is seeing is the face of a man that just swallowed a mouthful of vinegar.]

No, I wasn't born with it. I made it. My heart... I had an accident and needed some way to keep my heart beating. The armor was just to help me protect myself. This armor is special. Easier to move.

I guess if you want to put it in your terms it's more like machine bending. Kind of.

[That was the worst explanation ever.]

[She was hoping she wouldn't have to repeat it, but honestly she was pretty sure her English didn't come out right in the first place.]

It's not magic because it exists in nature. The planet is alive also. So using that chi, its-er my life energy, it connects witht he elements that exist naturally on the planet. It's all natural energy.

Magic uses something else outside of that cycle. Something outside the natural elements. I don't what it is, but it's not the same thing benders use at all.

[Her eyes widen when his heart almost stopping.]

So you would die without your machine-energy-armor? [Yeah, that's the best term she has for it at the moment.]

That sounds a lot like Leo Valdez. He can control machines too.

[Her blue eyes are glued to her monitor when takes a sip from the straw in a nearby cup.]

What was the accident?

[It all sounds out there to him, but then again, his explanations must sound ridiculous to her too. And since Korra is so adamant that it isn't magic, maybe he just missed something. Maybe. He's not a geneticist.]

Okay, so you use the energy that the planet has to make rocks move.

[Let it go, Tony. Fuzzy science.]

I'd like to introduce you to some people back home. They'd be amazed to hear that.

[The smile fades when they get back to his "accident".]

It was a long time ago. I got caught in an explosion. Careless mishap on my part. It took awhile, but I recovered. Improved, actually.

...And I wanted to keep improving.

Right! So the rock is one of the elements in nature, so you reach out with your chi to connect to it and then control it. Like you reached into your body's energy to control your armor!

[Perfect sense to her, and she is visibly thrilled that someone's finally getting it! Yeah, the accident takes her excitement down a notch too.]

But you didn't fully recover or else you wouldn't need the armor, huh? That's okay, improving yourself is really the best path. It's why I train and use my bending as much as possible. We won't grow if we don't push ourselves.

[She takes a little sip before she offers:]

Some waterbenders have the ability to heal. I can look at it and see if there's anything I can do if your injury is still bothering you a bit? [She has no idea what or where it is, but it would be wrong of her to not offer. So she feels.]

Edited 2013-06-15 03:19 (UTC)

You know, I think I'd like to see you do that sometime. Unless it's something you can't share.

[He's intrigued. He can't help it. He wants to see the powers in action. And if it draws on the energy there instead of her world, that will say something, won't it?

He almost makes a face when she offers to help. He doesn't, but he shifts uncomfortably in front of the video.]

I don't think you can heal this. It's not an injury. At first it was, but we fixed that.

[He pauses, trying to find the right way to explain everything and nothing at the same time.]

A while back I took something that changed me. I wanted to be stronger. Faster. Machines are held back by the limits of the people that use them, so I thought this would make me a better user.

So I can't just take it off.

Oh sure, I don't mind. Bending isn't a secret at all. [Why would anything that awesome ever be a secret?]

You're not like Spider-Man are you? Having some secret identity to protect your family and friends who aren't here because it means blah-blah-blah. [This is all said with a roll of her eyes. Secret identities were so annoying to her.]

So it's not an injury anymore, but it could still kill you? [Nope, her brain kept seeing that as an injury. A potential, constant life threatening injury.]

Wow, okay. Sorry, the machines we have in my world are radios, cars, airships, and some type of mecha tank armor. So you have really, really small machines in you that enhance your abilities?

Edited (Grammatical nonsense.) 2013-06-15 04:10 (UTC)

[Ouch. Ouch, Korra.]

No, I'm not like Spider-Man. It's Iron Man, technically, but people know who I am and what I can do. I guess... do people know you're this Avatar? It's like that.

[Or not, but hey.]

If I lose my power it could kill me, yes. The energy I use keeps me alive.

[And then she surprises him by being that intuitive.] Right. Tiny machines. I'm, uh, connected to them. They're part of me and enhance my natural abilities.

Oh yeah, everyone always finds out who the Avatar is. Who else would they look to when the balance goes beyond their control, right? [She nods with an approving smile.] That's great! I like the name Iron Man, really brings out the armor part. Secret identities are so ridiculous. I mean, keeping a big secret from your family and friends will just hurt them a lot later on.

[Her eyes and mouth both open wide.]

So if your power runs out, you'll die? Like a battery or something?

...Sooo, all these little machines use up that power and help you, but they're also hurting you? [She wasn't making any sense out of this. Yet.]

Great, I like it too. It's... nostalgic.

[Oh. He scratches his neck when Korra talks about the secret identities hurting people. Yeah. That's... not a topic he feels good about at all. Tony looks aside, avoiding eye contact until she gets back to the armor topic.]

Well, the little machines keep me going. If they lose power, I do too.

[He pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to find a safe way to put it.]

Like... Okay, it's like a wheel. As long as the wheel keeps going around, it produces force or energy. The machines make sure my wheel keeps spinning. Without them, my body won't... do that on its own.

Okay, I think I finally get what you mean. You made armor that helped you live, but you kept tinkering with it until you put it inside you so it would keep you alive while making you stronger?

[She gives a low whistle.] Yeah, I think I can see why everyone keeps telling me that Tony Stark is the go-to guy for technology. [Because really, she wasn't sure she understood her own summary fully.]

How does that work with the Iron Man thing then? You showed me your hand earlier. Can you do that with your whole body, or just your arms?

That's it, yup. Pretty much.

[At least, that's as close to accurate as he feels like getting.]

Well, there's a vote of confidence. It's nice to know that the reputation is still good here. [Other!Stark must be living up to the name pretty well. +5 points.]

Oh, that? It's probably not as good on video.

[But he can't resist. Tony steps back to get as good of a full body shot as he can before letting the metal replace the apparent clothes and cover his body with hard armor.]

Oh, you know. It's nothing special.

Edited (Bad description, don't mind me...) 2013-06-16 22:15 (UTC)

[Korra's mouth goes slack as she watches the transformation.] Your clothes have machines too? [How much of Tony was in between those tiny things?]

Why do you have a flashlight in your chest? [That really stuck out against the red and gold armor. And damn, that was some kick ass looking armor as far as Korra was concerned. Okay, time to scoop her mouth up from the floor.]

Nothing special, uh-huh. And you said it increased your strength and other abilities? How do you see through those blue lights? [She had a billion and one questions more now.]

They aren't clothes. They're all the same machines... I'm just changing the way they act.

[Probably less than she thinks, but he's glad that she didn't include that in her stream of questions.]

Power source, yes, and I use sensors. They pick up things like energy that normal people can't see anyway. It works out better this way.

[Because this totally doesn't sound like magic. Yup.]

[’Changing the way they act’ netted Tony a face that all too easily said ‘Not even going to ask.’ Her brain could soak up so much knowledge in such a short time before it starts to just overflow.]

You, or these sensors, can see energy? [Hoooold it. She asking this so tentatively because she knows this will probably sound like more magic talk to him, but:] Like you can see…spiritual energy?

[He's trying not to be too technical, if only because he doesn't actually want someone to try replicating the process. He doesn't have the genetic code, but you never know. But apparently his efforts are just making things worse.]

That's right. Some kinds... It depends on the type. [He frowns a little at the question, but shrugs.]

I could try. If you have a source for me to track, I can probably find a way to pick it up.

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